The billboard ordered and paid for by the North Iowa Tea Party. (AP Photo/Globe Gazette, Deb Nicklay)

(Newser)
–
The billboard in Iowa grouping President Obama with Hitler and Lenin probably won't be the last of its kind, writes Dana Milbank. And it's not enough to blame the local Tea Party "geniuses" in Mason City for spreading the "vile" message: This "was not a one-off by a fringe group," he writes at the Washington Post. "It was a logical expression of a message supported by conservative thought leaders and propagated by high-level Republican politicians."

Consider that just before the billboard went up, conservative Thomas Sowell wrote this "irresponsible" column with the same theme, writes Milbank. Sarah Palin then tweeted that people must read it. "Sowell to Palin to Mason City: They spread Nazi labels as smoothly as Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance turned double plays." Apparently, there's not a "grown-up" on the right who's willing to speak up when messages like this spin out of control.

Texas has the third highest rate of births to teen mothers in the nation, even worse, Texas ranks first for repeat births to teen mothers. Houston tops every other American city in the number of girls under fifteen who give birth. Five percent of Planned Parenthood activities account for medical services. The other ninety-five percent are preventative care, birth control consultations, breast cancer and ovarian cancer screenings, basic check-ps and prenatal visits, to ensure the pregnancy leads to a healthy baby. By preventing unwanted pregnancies, Planned Parenthood actually prevents abortion. In view of the true facts talked about in the top of this post, why in the world would so many people in this State be against decent health information reaching its citizens, and why in the world would anyone in this State be against the organization which calls itself Planned Parenthood? It boggles the mind that the ignorant approach to keep women and students from attaining health and sex education still persists in this day and age. Frankly, I have had it with the far-right teaching that all these people will benefit from abstinence from sex. Clearly that does not work and I am tired of supporting all these unwanted births and this needs to be changed. I am also tired of picking up the daily newspaper and see yet another teenager has killed her just born child in the bathroom because "she did not abstain from sex". In changing, it is necessary that we get the far-right out of our Government... immediately. Out of the Board of Education.. also immediately. We desperately need some one in charge of this State that does not cater to the far-right foolishness. That means the first thing we have to do is get rid of Rick Perry, the current Governor... When he is history, maybe some of the far-right nuts will also be history. When a member of the Texas Board of Education, says with a straight face that he has evidence that people walked with dinosaurs on this earth ten thousand years ago... it is time for a CHANGE.

adeleroberson

Jul 19, 2010 1:08 PM CDT

Texas has the third highest rate of births to teen mothers in the nation, even worse, Texas ranks first for repeat births to teen mothers. Houston tops every other American city in the number of girls under fifteen who give birth. Five percent of Planned Parenthood activities account for medical services. The other ninety-five percent are preventative care, birth control consultations, breast cancer and ovarian cancer screenings, basic check-ps and prenatal visits, to ensure the pregnancy leads to a healthy baby. By preventing unwanted pregnancies, Planned Parenthood actually prevents abortion. In view of the true facts talked about in the top of this post, why in the world would so many people in this State be against decent health information reaching its citizens, and why in the world would anyone in this State be against the organization which calls itself Planned Parenthood? It boggles the mind that the ignorant approach to keep women and students from attaining health and sex education still persists in this day and age. Frankly, I have had it with the far-right teaching that all these people will benefit from abstinence from sex. Clearly that does not work and I am tired of supporting all these unwanted births and this needs to be changed. I am also tired of picking up the daily newspaper and see yet another teenager has killed her just born child in the bathroom because "she did not abstain from sex". In changing, it is necessary that we get the far-right out of our Government... immediately. Out of the Board of Education.. also immediately. We desperately need some one in charge of this State that does not cater to the far-right foolishness. That means the first thing we have to do is get rid of Rick Perry, the current Governor... When he is history, maybe some of the far-right nuts will also be history. When a member of the Texas Board of Education, says with a straight face that he has evidence that people walked with dinosaurs on this earth ten thousand years ago... it is time for a CHANGE.